In the complicated world of music distribution, there are a lot of opportunities for error. People make blunders every day, and thanks to social media and the 24-hour news cycle, the public is going to hear about it. Plenty of people have written articles on how to avoid PR mistakes – we wrote this so you know what to do when you make one.

Respond immediately

Time is of the essence when you make a PR blunder. Perhaps it was a tweet gone wrong, or a not-so-ideal concert performance; whatever happens, you have to own up to it and apologize as quickly as possible. Staying silent will simply give more time for rumors to spread.

Respond appropriately

If you made a minor blunder, you should still address it, but you can do so with humor and some self-effacing. However, if it upset fans, you should take it very seriously. Speak honestly with your fans about the mistake you made and how you are going to make up for it.

Don’t make excuses

Blaming other people for your mistakes reflects poorly on you, even if you truly think it was someone else’s fault. You played a part of the situation, so you need to apologize, take responsibility, be honest, and focus on what your solution is going to be.

Give something to people affected

Part of your solution could be give something back. If you cancelled a concert, you could give everyone a free ticket for another date. Depending on the issue, you should be able to find a suitable way to repay people, whether it be free tickets, a free concert, or a charitable donation.

Continually rebuild your image

Your image is your brand, and it’s important to have one that people like and respect. Once you make a mistake, and do something to repair the damage done, your image may not be fully restored. Disaster control might be over, but protecting your image is a never-ending process. Always take the opportunity to give back to fans, be responsive to their messages, and get involved in local causes and the community.

Learn from your mistakes

Over the course of your career, you are going to make mistakes, and you are going to make some PR blunders. This is unavoidable. However, you do have control over the way you deal with them, how you recover, and how you move forward. If you have a positive attitude and treat every mishap as a learning experience, you will be much more successful and much less stressed.

At SongCast, we’re confident that you can be successful in the music industry, despite any bumps along the way. For more information about music distribution and indie music advice, follow our blog!